Detective
Salary

Detectives who are practiced in their profession and carry more than 10 years of experience make up just below three-fifths of Detectives. Pay fluctuates from $36K to $94K per year, but expected earnings average $55K annually. Geographic location is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by career length. Job satisfaction for Detectives is high. Nearly all enjoy medical while a strong majority get dental coverage. Vision coverage is also available to the larger part. Men account for the majority of Detectives who responded to the questionnaire — 89 percent to be exact. This overview is based on answers to PayScale's salary questionnaire.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

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Job Description for Detective

Typically, detectives are employed by companies to assist in loss and theft prevention. Examples of prospective employers for detectives include insurance companies, which use detectives when determining settlement shares; organizations that require background checks and security clearances, which use detectives as a part of the hiring process; and retail companies, where they may assist with loss prevention.

The essence of what a detective does is to gather data as evidence that will be used to support a conclusion, proposal, or action to be taken by the employer. A detective employed as part of loss prevention in a retail setting may work undercover, walking around their employer's store and looking for suspicious activity; they may also make recommendations to improve security and suggest ways to eliminate temptation. As an investigator for insurance companies, the detective may gather evidence, as well as conduct limited surveillance and perform interviews; the detective then typically presents the data he or she has gathered to assist the company on how to proceed in a claims settlement. When a detective performs background checks for employers, typically they conduct interviews and verification of prior employment and education through records checks.

To work as a detective, a high school diploma or equivalent is generally required; an associate's or bachelor's degree in criminology or a related field may be required or preferred as well. Prior experience is generally needed as well. Detectives must also be excellent communicators to effectively conduct interviews and create reports as required to summarize gathered evidence.

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Pay by Experience Level for Detective

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

The average inexperienced worker earns $49K, and someone who has worked for five to 10 years can expect a bigger median salary of $51K. After working for 10 to 20 years, Detectives make a median salary of $61K. Detectives who have racked up more than two decades of experience report lower incomes overall; the average sum for this crowd comes out to only $60K.